Fall's Candy

I love corn... and popcorn... and it's sweet cousin - caramel corn.  There are a few times a year when caramel corn is standard fair - county fairs and harvest parties!  So when my office had a potluck for Halloween, I knew one of the things I had to contribute was caramel corn.  But not just any caramel corn... homemade caramel corn.  Yum.

Whenever I make this, I will always think of the Blizzard of 2010.  Everything in the DC Metro area shut down for a week, and we were basically confined to the house.  Thankfully, we never lost power!  So to keep myself occupied during our imprisonment what did I do?  Bake of course!  I literally baked until I ran out of sugar... and flour... and eggs... and when I ran out of all those ingredients, I made this caramel corn!  It's delicious and great for a party, or just for you.

Blessings-
LC

One Year

Remember when I made my first wedding cake?  Well it's hard to believe, but that wonderful couple celebrated their one year anniversary earlier this summer, and they now also have a beautiful baby boy!  The sweet husband asked me if I could make them a small anniversary cake of the same flavor as their wedding cake, and of course I was thrilled to help them celebrate.  So this is a buttermilk white cake with vanilla buttercream.  I thought the little 6" round cake was just so cute, and perfect for their intimate celebration for two.

Blessings-
LC

Mum's the Word

Now that we're deep in the midst of fall, I thought it would be fun to share these "mum" cupcakes.  They're just a basic buttermilk white cake, with buttercream frosting.  But the piping work on these makes them cute and flowery and very appropriate for this time of year. : )

Blessings-
LC

The Graduate

This project obviously occurred earlier this year in the midst of graduation season.  A family friend asked me to make a graduation cake for the open house they were hosting for this high school graduate.  It was a chocolate cake with white buttercream frosting.  I was pretty proud of myself, because I was able to track down the school mascot online (the seahawks), and then I copied it on the cake!  It was a fun personal touch that they weren't expecting, so it was nice to surprise them with that detail at the party.  While only one layer, this round cake was much larger than usual cakes - around 12" in diameter - and perfect for a big celebration!

Blessings-
LC

Secret Cheesecake

Remember this special cheesecake?  Well it was good, but THIS is the original.  This is one of those recipes that I think my mom would disown me for sharing.  It's just a good, ole, traditional, tasty cheesecake.  Nothing too fancy or unusual about it.  You can serve it plain.  You can serve it with fruit (in this case it was strawberries).  Just take your pick - it's a blank canvas.  But it is sooooooooooo good - either on its own or with some special topping.

Blessings-
LC

Pick Your Flavor

Here's another one that I've held on to for a while but hadn't gotten around to sharing... These cupcakes were for a very special (and big!) birthday party.  The Birthday Girl wanted 60 cupcakes in several different flavors, so I created a really cute and colorful display for her guests.  I also made a cute little sign so the guests knew what all the different flavors were based on the color of the icing... which I thought was a pretty clever idea if I do say so myself. : )

Blessings-
LC

White Chocolate Reese's

Have you ever had white chocolate reese's?  Well, I had not... until a client asked me to incorporate them into a cake!  The birthday boy's favorite candy is white chocolate reese's, so I created a birthday cake STUFFED with them!

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the inside, so you'll just have to take my word for it.  This is a three layer chocolate cake with white chocolate buttercream.  In between each of the cake layers, I chopped up the candy and added it to the white chocolate filling.  For the outside, I put the leftover candies in my food processor and ground them up to create the little bits of tastiness that formed the outer "crust" if you will.

Since this was for a client, I didn't taste the final product.  But I'm told it was a hit!  Adding candy to cakes, etc. isn't something I usually do, but it's a fun - and tasty - way to bring your favorite flavors into a special dessert.

Blessings-
LC